Pole Winning Tequila Patron Nissan speeds around track. [Joe Jennings Photo]
by Joe Jennings
WATKINS GLEN, N. Y. – A potent Tequila Patron Nissan DPi driven by Pipo Derani copped the pole for Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, circulating around the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International road course in a record time of 1:34.405 seconds.
Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel co-drive with Derani.
“We’re starting to see all the work the team has been doing at the start of the year coming together,” said the 24-year old Brazilian. “Also, the track suits our car a bit better than the street courses we’ve run before, and it’s as big team effort from everyone. We rolled off the truck with a really good car, and we only had to do small set-ups to the changing conditions, which means it is easier for our drivers, so we can work on our corners and making our marks.
“It should be a race with a lot of action and the GT cars, the difference in cornering speeds, it is really big, so it should make for an exciting six hours.”
Second quickest in the Prototype class was Olivier Pla in a Ligier LMP2 car with a pair of Cadillac-powered cars in close pursuit. An Action Express Racing Cadillac of Christian Fittipaldi held down third with Ricky Taylor next in speed.
In the sleek GTLM class, Joey Hand earned the pole with a last second charge, putting the Ford GT of Ford Chip Ganassi Racing on the pole with a time of 1:42.507 seconds. In the waning moments of qualifying, he surpassed a pair of BMW M6 GTLMs entered BMW Team RLL.
Hand took his third IMSA pole.
Andy Lally grabbed the pole for the GTD class in an abbreviated session with a time of 1:46.051 seconds. For the New York native, he scored his first class pole and his 10th overall. Lally drives an Acura NSX GT3 from the Michael Shank Racing stable.
James French scored the pole in the Prototype Challenge class with a time of 1:40.049 in an ORECA FLM09. Only three PC cars were entered.
The Six Hours flags off at 10:10 a.m. ET on Sunday.
